There has long been need of a more satisfactory cross country ski binding.
One type in wide use is disclosed in With U.S. Pat. No. 3,481,618, "Ski Binding Of The Toe Binding Type", and involves using spring bales to capture the side and toe portions of boot soles. Not only is fit a problem, in view of the myriad different boot sizes, but improved lateral (Y-axis) stability with this construction requires a tightness of side flange fitting inconsistent with desired good forward (up-and-down Z axis, movement of heel) flexibility. A broadly similar construction is shown in Dysthe U.S. Pat. No. 3,874,684, "Ski Toe Binding", in which the two inner ends of the toe-clamping bale may be removed from holes in the binding, to release, by pushing down on the toe end of the bale, as with a ski pole. Sollentune et al. U.S. Pat. No. 3,612,558, "Holding Element For Ski Boot", teaches mounting a unit on a boot toe for cooperation with a bale to prevent rearward (X-axis) and upward movement of the toe, but Y-axis movement is attempted to be contained in the same old way. Hilding U.S. Pat. No. 3,003,777, "Ski Binding", discloses a binding with cooperating ski- and boot-mounted units, but the boot-mounted portion is mounted on the bottom of the boot, rather than on the thickness of the sole, inter alia. Finally, I understand that to some extent special boots have been made, using bootmaking techniques, to cooperate with ski-mounted binding units.